Grandma's Famous Blackberry Cobbler

Don’t you just hate how you’re trying to find a recipe but first you have to read some long-winded story about it before you get to the good stuff? Hope you’re in a comfy chair.

I Love Blackberries. More than pretty much any other food. As a kid, I would spend countless hours under the BRUTAL Texas summer sun, heedless of thorns and bees and other dangers just to collect blackberries – the wilder the better. I would grab a giant gallon ice-tea pitcher and head off into the thicket and not come back until it was full of the ripest, purplest berries I could find. Considering that for every berry that made it into the bucket, three made it into my stomach, this could take a while.

And yes, I was a kid. I’d knock the ants off and pop the berries into my mouth, no rinsing required.

One time, I showed up at the back door screaming like the devil and looking like a murder victim – covered head to toe in blood. My grandma – bless her Southern heart – freaked TF out. She carried me inside, and tried to pry the story out of me, but I was in hysterics. I was what you’d call a wild child, and it wasn’t exactly uncommon for me to come home after a day or so playing who-knows-where, covered in blood and scratches. But this was an extraordinary amount of blood. Buckets of blood. Or, more accurately, a gallon ice-tea jar of blackberry juice.

I’d spent who-knows-how-long in 100+ degree temps crawling through sharp, thorny bushes to collect my berries, then a few steps from the door I tripped and landed on my bucket, smashing a whole day’s work. I wasn’t hurt, just upset. I wasn’t bleeding, just covered in blackberries. I musta took a year off grandma’s life that day, but as soon as I was cleaned up (my clothes were ruined and my skin stained for days!) I went right back out and picked another gallon of blackberries and then set about making a cobbler with her.

Note: This recipe doesn’t call for a gallon of blackberries. You only need 32 ounces. But I never do anything in halves.

Grandma was always stingy with her recipes. She’d show me how to make something but if I asked for the recipe, she’d either say no outright or pretend she didn’t know what I was talking about (“Blackberry cobbler? I don’t know that I’ve ever made that before. Maybe you’re thinking about my pecan pie?”) or would write down *a* recipe that wasn’t quite what I was asking for. I tell you this as a disclaimer because the below is (a result of many hours of experimenting and many, MANY gallons of blackberries) as close as I’m ever gonna get to “Grandma’s Famous Southern Blackberry Cobbler.” I included the Berry Pie recipe as a bonus because every time I asked for her cobbler recipe, that’s what she gave me. It’s delicious, but it’s not her cobbler.

Oh, and if my gma asks? You did NOT get this recipe from me!

Simple Pie Crust

Pie Crust Ingredients

2 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Cooking Oil (Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil)
¼ Cup Milk

Blackberry Cobbler — I don’t have a handy pie-crust cutter and am too lazy to lattice, so I cut holes instead

Pie Crust Directions

Mix Salt and Flour.
Mix Oil and Milk.
Pour liquid into flour mixture and mix.
Make 2 round balls and roll (flatten with a roller) each between two sheets of wax paper.
Place one (bottom crust) in pan crust. Pierce well all over with fork.
Optional: Bake at 450 degrees 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Delicious Berry Pie

Berry Pie Ingredients

4 Cups (32 ounces) fresh or frozen (thawed) Berries of your choice
1 to 1 ½ Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 to 1 ½ Cups Sugar
6 Tablespoons Flour
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter (or Margarine)

Berry Pie Directions

Preheat oven to 425.
Mix Berries with Lemon Juice.
Combine Flour and Salt, mix lightly with Berries.
Pour into a 9” round pastry pan lined with bottom pie crust (baked).
Dot with Butter (or Margarine).
Place top crust over filling. Fold edges over bottom crust and pinch to seal. Flute edge. Vent top.
Bake at 425 for 35-45 minutes or until the top is browned and the juice is bubbly.

Southern Blackberry Cobbler

Now, as promised, the pièce de résistance. Or more accurately, the cobbler de résistance. Yes, this does have a top and bottom crust, making it more of a “pie” than a traditional “cobbler” but trust me on this.

Blackberry Cobbler Filling Ingredients

¼ Cup Water
1 ½ Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 – 1 Tablespoon Orange (or Lemon) Extract
4 Cups (32 ounces) of Blackberries (if frozen, partially thaw them in hot water while you’re making the pie crust).
3 Tablespoons Cornstarch

Blackberry Cobbler Instructions

In a medium size pot, boil: Water, Sugar, Vanilla, and Orange (or Lemon) Extract.
Add 4 cups of Blackberries. Blackberries should be *almost* covered with water. (note: you can use a variety of berries, I suppose. Personally, I want blackberries or a blackberry medley.)
Lower heat to Medium High. Stir until berries start to burst. Remove from heat.
In another bowl, combine Cornstarch with 3 Tablespoons of Water into a paste. Pour into the pot and stir until mixture thickens.
Flour a 9 1/2” pie pan (or equivalent casserole dish). Line with bottom pie crust (unbaked).
Pour blackberry cobbler filling into pie crust.
Cover with hatched/lattice top crust. Pinch edges.
Optional: lightly brush butter over top crust, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
PLACE PIE CRUST ON LINED COOKIE SHEET TO CONTAIN ANY MESSY SPILLOVER! Also, wash that pot as soon as possible before it stains.
Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling.

Serve warm (cobbler will be soupy!) with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. Or I guess any vanilla ice cream or <shudder> whipped cream will work in a pinch if you can’t get Blue Bell. Also, if there are any leftovers, try it cold the next morning for breakfast. You’re welcome!